Page 131 of Angelic Vengeance

“I. Don’t. Know.”

“Why did she let you live?”

“I DON’T FUCKING KNOW.” Emotion bled through my booming voice. The same questions I’d been asking myself for years.Why?

Suddenly, the silence brought clarity. Zane scoffed, “She wasn’t there to kill you. She was there tosaveyou.”

No…

“She had the same uniform on as Ruiz’s soldiers,” I explained.

“She had to infiltrate herself.”

No…

I moved to turn away. “She knew them. They called herAngel.”

“At sixteen, Maria was abducted and trafficked. She killed her way out. She didn’t tell you about that did she?”

I stared at Zane, my face blank and unemotional, masking the inferno raging inside.No. She hadn’t told me.Black wrath seeped through my chest and I’d never wanted to avenge someone else before. Though, pride muted the rage.She killed her way out. That was my girl.

“Since she saved all those other women’s lives too, the C.I.A. got her on their radar,” Zane continued. “Long story short, she became an agent in training under Ruiz, who was dirty. Except Maria had no idea, and was doubling them too on her own. When she got to México, she found out Ruiz was dirty. She hit you because she had to play along. But then they realized what she was there for and she had to take them all out. Only Ruiz disappeared. Maria’s been after her ever since.”

No…

“Zach…” This time it was Trevor who appeared in front of me. “Think. Did she even take the cover off your face?”

“She was busy fighting Ruiz,” Zane answered for me. “She said she saw a group of men arrive and free the ‘captive’ before she had the chance. By then, the feds were already there so she just got the fuck out as fast as she could.”

No…

Her red eyes. Her wet cheeks. Her tears.

‘I didn’t try to kill you. I was the one that saved you.’

‘You’re such a fucking liar.’

‘Zach… I swear.’

‘I don’t believe you,Maria.’

I shook my head frantically. “What about the folder in her apartment, then?”

Zane’s eyes dropped with sad understanding, as he leaned over the desk and reopened the laptop. I leaned in, seeing the black screen with green writing showing the recorded phone conver-sation he had with Ruiz.

[ What about the assassin? ]

[ I told the Angel I’d spare her life if she took out Diablo. ]

[ And? ]

[ Would we be here if she listened? ]

I registered the exact moment my chest ripped apart. I pushed off the desk, but all of a sudden, the room was spinning.

Her arms wrapped around my neck,my hands settling on her hips.

‘Thank you.’